This mission report details the findings of the experts deployed by the UN Environment/OCHA Joint Unit to make an environmental assessment of the typhoon Bopha/Pablo in eastern Mindanao, Philippines.

The Bopha/Pablo typhoon hit Mindanao early December 2012, destroying homes, infrastructure, agricultural land and forests. Killing over 1000 people, it caused severe humanitarian distress and created pressure on the local environment. The United Nations OCHA office of Davao was assigned support through a Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) environmental expert, deployed through the UN Environment/OCHA Joint Unit. This expert was tasked with identifying crosscutting environmental issues for the clusters.

During the time of the assignment, the Bopha action plan was under revision and the Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) process started. During this time, there was also some severe flooding (January 20-21) in the area, again impacting some of the already affected communities. This report provides detailed information regarding the environmental assessment after the typhoon Bopha/Pablo in eastern Mindanao, Philippines. The responsibilities of the positions were to integrate with the clusters (local authorities, UN, NGOs) related to the environmental issues that were relevant. The paper describes the basic environmental issues that were dealt with during the mission.

You can consult the mission report here.